Scottish Executive

Doctors

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to attract consultants to the NHS from other parts of the UK and abroad in each year since May 1997; what success it has had in attracting such consultants, and in what disciplines it has attracted them.

Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1108 on 4 August 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

European Convention on Human Rights

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any involvement it has in the treatment of asylum seekers at the Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre is compatible with its duties and responsibilities under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Human Rights Act 1998 as incorporated into Scots law.

Ms Margaret Curran: The management and operation of Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre is the responsibility of the Home Office. Scottish ministers are responsible for ensuring our actions are compatible with the ECHR and the Human Rights Act 1998 as incorporated into Scots law. Responsibility for the actions of the Home Office (including the ECHR compatibility of those actions) in a reserved area is of course a matter for the Home Office on which it would not be appropriate for us to comment.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in each of the last three years.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number of people diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in hospital and day case settings is given in the table.

  

 

April 1999 to March 2000 
  

April 2000 to March 2001 
  

April 2001 to March 2002 
  



Total 
  

12,404 
  

12,160 
  

12,153 
  



Males 
  

6,213 
  

6,042 
  

6,066 
  



Females 
  

6,191 
  

6,118 
  

6,087 
  



  Source: SMR01 data.

Housing

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it allocated to Glasgow Housing Association Ltd prior to the completion of the Glasgow housing stock transfer.

Ms Margaret Curran: The New Housing Partnership grant spent by the Glasgow Housing Association prior to transfer was as follows:

  

 

£ Million 
  



2000-01 
  

3.624 
  



2001-02 
  

7.886 
  



2002-03 
  

15.755

Scottish Executive Finance

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated underspend is for the current financial year; when it first estimates any underspend during the financial year, and whether it will publish any future estimates of any underspend.

Mr Andy Kerr: Full details of End Year Flexibility for 2002-03 were set out in my statement and the related documents published yesterday.

Scottish Executive Finance

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why there was a £500 million underspend in its expenditure for 2002-03; what the breakdown of this underspend was by each of its departments; which items of expenditure were not met that contributed to this underspend; what aggregate funding was carried forward to the current financial year, broken down by department, and what happened to any of this underspend that was not carried forward to the current financial year.

Mr Andy Kerr: Full details of the End Year Flexibility carry forward from 2002-03 into this financial year were set out in my statement to the Parliament and supporting documentation yesterday.

Skye Bridge

Mr Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the tolls on the Skye Bridge will cease.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive is committed to reviewing existing bridge tolls and entering into negotiations with a view to ending the toll regime for the Skye Bridge. That work is under way but it is too early to say when negotiations might conclude.

Waste Management

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many convictions for fly-tipping there were in each of the last five years.

Ross Finnie: The available information is given in the table. The data for 2002 are not expected to be available until November 2003.

  Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts Where the Main Offence was Under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, 1997–2001

  


1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



- 
  

6 
  

10 
  

9 
  

5